Tree Photography Bloghttps://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog/Wed, 05 Dec 2018 09:36:48 +0000en-GBSite-Server v6.0.0-16734-16734 (http://www.squarespace.com)A blog about trees, woodlands and treescapes, tree photography and tree <br/>themed wall artAutumn WoodlandsMark ZytynskiWed, 05 Dec 2018 12:28:46 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//autumn-woodlands54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5c079c300ebbe879ad700fc8I’ve been lucky to have been commissioned by The Woodland Trust to shoot in several of their woods in Wales to catch the Autumn moods.

This has taken me from Cardiff to Carmarthen to Conwy - here are some samples…..

]]>Autumn WoodlandsWoodland Trust "Tree of the Year"Mark ZytynskiSat, 08 Sep 2018 14:15:26 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//woodland-trust-tree-of-the-year54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5b93d4c14ae2373f8cb59ad9The hunt for 2018’s Tree of the Year is on! The contest, now in its fifth year throws the spotlight on the UK’s best trees to help drive up interest in their value and protection.

Once again I've been asked to photograph 5 of the 6 trees that have been short-listed for Wales.

Here's a sample..... (Click on an image for fullscreen view)

]]>Woodland Trust "Tree of the Year"The Mighty Trees of MalvernMark ZytynskiWed, 11 Jul 2018 13:20:29 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//the-mighty-trees-of-malvern54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5b4601731ae6cf4b5cb4e299I've recently moved to the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire so you will be seeing more of these mighty trees which have been growing in the parks and gardens of Malvern for over 100 years!
]]>The Mighty Trees of MalvernPortrait of an Ash Tree in SummerMark ZytynskiFri, 06 Apr 2018 19:27:00 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog/portrait-of-an-ash-tree-in-summer-54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5ac7c5eb6d2a734238324cfa

A few weeks ago I wrote about my experiments with Tree Portraits - Here is a portrait of a magnificent Ash Tree in full summer "clothing" to give us something to look forward to after this long winter - Hopefully enough Ash Trees will survive the current epidemic of "chalara" (Ash dieback) so that we can enjoy these wonderful trees for many years to come.

Highly complex interactions among roots, fungi and bacteria underlie the ability of some trees to clean polluted land, according to a novel study by bioinformatics and plant-biology experts from McGill University and Université de Montréal.

Fast-growing trees, such as willows, are known to tolerate and even rejuvenate soil contaminated with petroleum by-products or heavy metals. The clean-up of soil in this way is known as phytoremediation, and the process is commonly attributed to ‘secondary metabolism’—the production of specialized compounds in plants that helps them cope with environmental stress.- read more here

]]>Of willows, tree roots, fungi and bacteria....Tree PortraitsMark ZytynskiTue, 13 Mar 2018 20:36:02 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//tree-portraits-ewnfa54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5aa83611ec212dd6454f812dI love trees! I regard a tree as one of Nature's works of art but sometimes you just can't see the tree for the woods! Am I being too cryptic? Just sometimes I'd like to put a tree on its own pedestal - like an artwork in a gallery. Removed like this from its surrounding landscape or woodland its intrinsic beauty can be more truly seen.

So I have been experimenting with what I call "Tree Portraits" ......

"A Portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person."

Adapting this definition...

"A Tree Portrait is a a modified photographic representation of a tree intended to display the likeness, personality and even the mood of the tree."

Here are two oak tree "portraits" - one fully-clothed and one completely naked....

What do you think? Please add your comments ......

]]>Park Wood Snowfall Mark ZytynskiTue, 12 Dec 2017 14:47:21 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//park-wood-snowfall54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5a2feb34652deae394cdcc86A very heavy snowfall in the Brecon Beacons in December 2017 made for some beautiful sights.....

]]>Plas Power Woods - Lanterns, Storytelling and Fire!!woodlandMark ZytynskiThu, 02 Nov 2017 14:02:54 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//plas-power54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:59fb12ca0846654cd8eb0ad4Last Sunday I was commissioned to "shoot" an enchanting event at Plas Power Woods organised by The Woodland Trust near Wrexham. After sunset the woods were illuminated with candles, coloured lights, fairy lanterns, the glow from a firepit. Family groups were led by a lone flute player along twinkling woodland footpaths to hear wonderful tales by lantern light and to toast marshmallows over a fire...

Click on an image for a full screen view....

More .....
]]>Plas Power Woods - Lanterns, Storytelling and Fire!!Wales 'Tree of the Year' competitionMark ZytynskiTue, 12 Sep 2017 12:06:06 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//wales-tree-of-the-year-competition54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:59b7b06a4a7e24fb82caeb66I was asked to shoot three of the nominated trees in the "Tree of the Year" competition organised by The Woodland Trust .....

Read about it on the BBC News and Woodland Trust websites....

More images here....

]]>Wales 'Tree of the Year' competitionWoodland "shoots"Mark ZytynskiSun, 03 Sep 2017 14:13:24 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//woodland-shoots54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:59ac0c43f14aa1fbc58ec91fOver recent months I've been commissioned by the Woodland Trust to carry out photo shoots in a number of beautiful woodlands - you can see some the results by clicking on the images below....
Wentwood
Cefn Coch
Cefn Ila
Cwm Mynach
Dyffryn
]]>Woodland "shoots"On a desolate mountain somewhere near Machynlleth.....Mark ZytynskiSat, 06 May 2017 11:56:10 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//on-a-desolate-mountain-somewhere-near-machynlleth54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:590db4e217bffcc3aa0df70aAnother shoot for the Woodland Trust took me to a desolate mountainside that is due for "re-wilding" - it's off to a good start!
]]>On a desolate mountain somewhere near Machynlleth.....Bluebells in Park WoodMark ZytynskiWed, 19 Apr 2017 14:20:39 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//bluebells-in-park-wood54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:58f7708ce3df287354a6ac0dThere are just a few English Bluebells in my local wood - Park Wood - a Woodland Trust woodland above Talgarth in the Black Mountains. I thought I would try out a "gadget" bought at the recent Photography Show. It's called "Case Air" and is a WiFi device that attaches to my Nikon camera and allows me to control the camera from an iPad. This is great for macro shots like these as it means don't have to lie down in the brambles to compose my shots!
]]>Bluebells in Park WoodThe Banyans of SevilleMark ZytynskiTue, 21 Feb 2017 15:06:40 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//the-banyans-of-seville54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:58ac54f246c3c46d21d70726I've just returned from a long weekend in Seville. This is a beautiful city with wonderful buildings, parks, restaurants, bars and orange trees. But did you know about the Banyans? Many of the city squares and parks have a Banyan Tree or two - the Ficus Macrophylla (aka Moreton Bay Fig or Australian Banyan).
]]>The Banyans of SevilleA walk through Coed Cefn on a sunny winter's day.Mark ZytynskiThu, 26 Jan 2017 15:40:17 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//a-walk-through-coed-cefn-on-a-sunny-winters-day54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:588a15e63e00bed8dedfe345Coed Cefn is a Woodland Trust woodland up in the hills above Crickhowell in the Black Mountains of Wales. Oak, Beech, Sycamore, Sweet Chestnut.... I'll let the images say the rest!
]]>A walk through Coed Cefn on a sunny winter's day.Ice & Snow on the Black MountainsMark ZytynskiTue, 03 Jan 2017 17:02:06 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//ice-snow-on-the-black-mountains54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:586bd76820099ee6dd8dab65Here are a few "snaps" from a wonderful ridge walk on the Black Mountains today around Mynydd Bychan and Y das.
]]>Ice & Snow on the Black MountainsAsh & StileMark ZytynskiWed, 16 Nov 2016 12:20:38 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//ash-stile54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:582c4e0a5016e168ebdf06bbI see this ash tree several times a week - it is on the ridge above Park Wood near Talgarth in the Black Mountains of Wales. I love the way ash leaves glow when the sun shines through them.
]]>Autumn Sunset in Park WoodMark ZytynskiSun, 13 Nov 2016 10:34:00 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//autumn-sunset-in-park-wood54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5825acd09f745688562e7ee0A walk in the woods a couple of days ago in a very soft evening light.....
]]>Selected for the Woodland Trust Calendar 2017Mark ZytynskiFri, 11 Nov 2016 11:26:59 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//woodland-trust-calendar-201754c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:5825a8b937c5812d97c1a112I'm very pleased to have one of my images in the 2017 Woodland Trust calendar.

Black Mountains viewed from Cilcenni Dingle - an ancient woodland.

Buy the PrintBuy the Calendar
]]>Glasbury Arts ExhibitionMark ZytynskiFri, 28 Oct 2016 13:32:17 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//glasbury-arts-exhibition54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:58135150ff7c50d3facc1d5fLast few days of my exhibition in the Drama Studio at Gwernyfed High School, Three Cocks.

"We again have an exciting line up of exhibitors including: two paintings from the significant contemporary art collection at Cyfarthfa Castle Museum and Gallery; internationally renowned surrealist painter Alan Salisbury will be exhibiting for a third time; one of Wales most exciting abstract painters Brendan Burns will be appearing for the first time, and the range of talented artists from Clyro Life Drawing group will provide a major feature. In addition our exhibition will include the display of work at the River Café Glasbury by one of the UK’s leading photographers Richard S. Greatrex."

"At Gwernfyed High School drama studio a unique piece by Cai Harris will be displayed. Responding to his A levelbrief to deconstruct and then reassemble in an artistic style, Cai turned to nature to create a stunning work, which will be complemented by a selection of Mark Zytynski's beautiful photographs of trees"

]]>Cwm MynachMark ZytynskiThu, 18 Aug 2016 13:41:01 +0000https://www.markzytynski.photography/tree-blog//cwm-mynach54c7b48ce4b07428fc0ebb34:54ca258ee4b01e05842c6837:57b5b8abe58c624a6d39591cI've just returned from a couple of days up in the Rhinog Mountains of Wales photographing a woodland for the Woodland Trust. If you are in North Wales this is well worth a visit and it's just off the Mawddach estuary - another bonus!